Northern Ireland: Oversight Commissioner's Report

Baroness Amos: My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has made the following Ministerial Statement.
	I have today laid before this House a copy of the Oversight Commissioner's first statutory report for 2004 which is being published today, in accordance with Section 68(4)(a) of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000.
	This is the first report compiled by Al Hutchinson as Oversight Commissioner and the 10th in the series of oversight reports published since 2001.
	I would like to take this opportunity to welcome the new Oversight Commissioner to this very important post.

Regional Planning Guidance: Ashford Growth Area

Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Minister for Housing and Planning has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
	My right honourable friend the Deputy Prime Minister has published for public consultation proposed changes to the Ashford growth area section of Chapter 12 of regional planning guidance for the south-east (RPG9). They follow the public examination into the draft in December 2003 and the panel report in February 2004.
	Growth areas are an integral part of regional planning guidance (RPG) and the draft chapter represents a revision to RPG9, as published in March 2001.
	Other partial reviews of RPG9 are at various stages in the process. In particular, a public examination into the Milton Keynes and south Midlands sub-regional strategy is under way, and the Secretary of State's proposed changes for the regional transport strategy are out for consultation.
	Ashford is both a centre for regional economic development and a gateway to Europe. Growth must bring real benefits to the whole community, which is why our proposed policies promote the right development in the right place at the right time.
	The regional planning guidance needs to define new policies which will not only support the projected growth of housing and jobs in Ashford but guide this growth in a sustainable way.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister proposes accepting all the recommendations of the independent panel that held the public examination into the proposed alterations, with minor modifications.
	I have written to the regional assembly with the proposed changes. There will now be a public consultation period on the proposed changes, which will end on 17 June.
	Copies of the relevant documents are available in the Libraries of the House and have been provided for all of the region's MPs, MEPs and local authorities.